To save him
by Miry-0-chan
Summary: A 'what if' story, sort of. What if Kirito was the one who was trapped by Sugo after SAO? What will Asuna do in order to save him? No longer a one-shot. Rating may change. Under revision.
1. Prologue

This is my first SAO fanfiction. I had the idea while rewatching ALO. I'm not really fond of the "prince in shining armor who saves the princess" stuff. Plus, Asuna is a tough girl who can defend herself so I don't really like the way she was in ALO.

So I had this idea : the 'princess' can save the 'prince' for once.

This is actually a one-shot though. And this is really short.

**Disclaimer** : I don't own SAO. The original story and the characters are property of Reki Kawahara.

**To save him**

_**Six months after the battle between Kirito and Kayaba Akihiko (Heathcliff)**_

It's been six months since she wakes up. Six painful months of rehab and research. She wanted to find him, the one who cleared the game, the one who saved her, the one that she _loves_. And six horrible months trying to avoid her so-called fiancé : Sugô Nobuyuki.

This old man really wanted to marry her but she refused. She tried to explain to her parents that she loved someone else, but they were sceptics.

However, they said that they'll give it some thought and all the 'wedding stuff' was postponed.

Asuna had to thank her brother, Kôichirô, for his help, since he was the one who convinced their mother. He was also the one who found Kirito, or rather Kazuto Kirigaya as he was called in real life.

At first, Asuna was happy at the idea that she'll see him again. That is, until she knows about his condition : Kirito was the only one who hasn't woken up yet.

Right now, Asuna sat next to him, in his hospital room and she couldn't help herself but cry.

It has been six months and the young man was still trapped inside... his own head? His NerveGear? Asuna didn't even know. It couldn't be in SAO. She saw Aincrad being destroyed. So where?

"Why are you the only one who hasn't woken up?" she asked between sobs. "You promised me that you'll be there, in the real world, and that we could be together. You promised."

After a while, the girl calmed herself. She looked at the pale face of the man she loved and took one of his hand. Then, she whispered nine words. Nine words that will doom her :

"I'll do anything if it can wake you."

"Really, you'll do anything for him?" said an annoying voice behind her. Surprised, she turned around. To her horror, it was Sugô. "Then marry me, my beauty, and I'll set him free."

**XxXxX**

Thx you for reading. I hope there aren't too many mistakes.


	2. Full story ?

Hello everyone who read (or will read) this story.

A month ago, this was supposed to be a one-shot, nothing more. That's why I wrote it in English AND in French.

On the English version, I actually have only one review but 5 readers wish for the story to continue.

On the French version, I actually have three reviews of people who wish for the story to continue plus one who follow.

It motivated me to write a full story (that and the fact some friends wish it too). BUT it's really tough to write the story in both languages.

What I ask for is quite simple : will there be people who review this story? If not, I'll simply stop it.

It isn't a threat but I wish for that to be clear.

I hope my writing will be good enough for your liking, readers. :)

And thx to those who like this one-shot so far.

See you.


	3. Chapter 1 : Proof

Hello everyone.

First of all, thank you very much for your reviews. When I asked if I should continue this story I honestly didn't expect to receive so many nice reviews.

Thank you :

**DragonWolfSURPREME**

**Wolfhunter107**

**InvisableTarget**

**miachi13**

**PalutenaX87**

**thelastsoldier21477**

**PhantomGirl1223**

**lucarionite**

**anonanonanon**

**Kikre**

and, of course, the **guest**s.

When I received the first reviews, I intended to send this first chapter right away. But extra work fall on me at the same time (like every time I'm motivated to write). Plus, I didn't want to send a short chapter. But here he is now, enjoy !

By the way, I didn't have beta readers. I apologize in advance for any mistakes I (probably) made.

**Disclaimer** : I don't own SAO. The original story and the characters are property of Reki Kawahara.

**To save him**

**Chapter 1 : Proof**

**XxXxX**

_"Really, you'll do anything for him?" said an annoying voice behind her. Surprised, she turned around. To her horror, it was Sugô. "Then marry me, my beauty, and I'll set him free."_

_**XxXxX**_

After having heard Sugô's words, Asuna froze. Did she really hear him right ? Quickly, surprise was replaced by anger. No, it was not anger. It was something far worse than that : fury.

"What do you mean?"

She barely managed to ask this without yelling but Sugô seemed to like playing with her nerves.

"About what, dear?" he asked with a big smile. "I just proposed to you... _again_". He hissed the last word and Asuna understood that he was, in fact, angry too.

She then tried to calm herself, she breathed and took a look at Kirito.

"What do you mean when you say you'll set him free? What did you do?"

Curiously, Sugô seemed really happy to hear that question.

"My, My, Dear. I thought you were smarter than that. Did you ever wonder why your _husband_-in-game was the only one who had not woken up yet?"

"You... did that to him?" she asked, anger starting to rise again.

"It was not really me but people who work for me are more than capable of doing this, yes. Plus, I own the company which replaced Argus. So it was easy to trap your little _boyfriend_." Sugô stated, proud of himself. He then looked at Asuna, to see what face she'll make after his announcement. But he was disappointed: her face remained neutral and she didn't say a thing. So he added :

"So, Honey, would you marry me to save this kid?"

Since she didn't react at all, he advanced upon her and was about to brush her hair off her eyes when his hand was smacked away.

"Don't touch me" she growled, stepping away. "I'll never marry you, jerk!"

Despite the situation, Sugô smiled. "So, you'll let him die without seeing the real world again? That's not what you said a few minutes ago. How cruel of you. And you said you would do anything for him."

"Don't get me wrong Sugô, I'll do anything if it **COULD** help him. But for all I know, you could be lying. I have absolutely no proof that marry you will help him but I know for sure I'll never be able to see him again if I do. We both know that you hate him."

"In other words, you want a proof that he is alive and that I can free him?" asked Sugô, his voice shaking with suppress anger.

"Or wake him up if you really can." she said.

"Nice try, my dear, nice try, but I'm not stupid. Still, I understand your point of view, so I'll find a way to prove it to you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do. Bye Honey."

And then, he exited the room, leaving Asuna alone with an unconscious Kazuto.

**XxXxX**

In a world where people can fly, a little girl made her way between trees, monsters and players. Yes, players. She was in a game named ALO, but she didn't know how to log out. She tried to find out but the system shut her down. She could only access to basics commands like the monster or weapon books. She also could helped players during battles but that's all, and it was not very much. She couldn't help her 'father' with that, so she was currently trying to find informations. But it was really hard since no one seemed able to hear her voice. They could see her, of course, but a tiny pixie in a world of fairies didn't exactly stand out. Plus, since she's so small, no one paid attention to her.

Yui tried everything to get the attention of players: she tried helping them during their fight, she flew right in front of their eyes... But, so far, no one acknowledged her.

Discouraged, she was about to get back to the world tree, where her father was held prisoner, when she heard someone screaming.

"This time... Maybe..." she said while flying toward the voice.

**XxXxX**

The giant world tree Yggdrasil was the heart of the world of Alfheim Online. In the game, it was stated that the first fairies were born from this tree. It was a sacred place that no one could access, but it dominated the landscape and every player knew about it. A few even tried to fly at the top but they couldn't even reach the very first branches.

However, in reality, the top of the tree was a place reserved to the Game Master and his 'guest'.

In a cage built between whites and longs branches was held a young man who was currently sitting on the floor, next to the bars of his 'room'. His eyes were blank as if he was daydreaming but, sometimes, he took a look at the ground, miles below him, hoping to see his 'daughter' coming back.

The guy had short black hair and grey eyes. He also had long and pointy ears with silver earrings at the top (_WN : Like Asuna in the anime_).

He was wearing a white shirt with long sleeves and, on top of it, a black sleeveless jacket. He also wore black pants but he was barefoot.

His name was Kazuto Kirigaya, better known under the name Kirito in the world of online games. But he didn't play this game because he wanted to. If he was here, trapped in this godforsaken cage, it was only because of the jealousy of one man...

"Hello, my little Puck" said Oberon, the GM avatar, when he entered the cage.

When you speak of the devil...

"Stop calling me that, my name's Kirito."

"Why not? Puck is Oberon's servant after all. But he betrayed him and that's why he is now trapped in a cage. Doesn't this tale sound good to you?"

'The only thing that sounds good to me right now is a show where I can strangle you' thought Kirito, but he didn't say it out loud. He was trapped in here for a long time now, six month to be precise, and he learnt the hard way that this man could do anything he wanted in this world.

Plus, he wanted to be left alone as quickly as possible, so he simply asked :

"What do you want?"

"So cold! You could, at least, look at me you know, be friendly." teased Oberon, but Kirito didn't take the bait.

"Imagine that my dear Asuna-chan didn't believe me when I stated that you're my prisoner. What a shame, right? She wants a proof that you're in my hands. So I had a great idea!"

While saying this, Oberon's eyes lit with a crazy light.

Kirito suddenly got up and took up a battle stance, ready to defend himself. He didn't know why, but he didn't likethe fact that Oberon had an idea **AT ALL**. Especially a 'great' one that caused him to have this crazy look. But the man who proclaimed himself 'king of fairies' didn't pay attention to the boy's action and went on.

"At first, I thought about sending her a picture of you in here but she would most likely think it is faked. So another idea came into my mind: I could take a picture of you in which you were happen to be wounded, the pain absorber turned off, and send it to her. With a nice little scar on your real body, at the same place as the one on your avatar, she won't be able to deny the truth anymore, right? What a good idea right?"

"You're crazy!" yelled Kirito.

At that, Oberon laughed.

"Maybe, but here, I'm the one with the power. Now, come here and I promise you to make it quick."

"In your dreams!"

"Well then, suit yourself. But remember that you ask for it."

**XxXxX**

Here end this first chapter. I'm not totally satisfied with it right now, so I may rewrite a few things later. Nonetheless, I hope you'll like it. If so, don't forget to review!

Thx you for reading.

Edit (June 2015) : This chapter is now revised thanks to Moshita's help. :)


	4. Chapter 2 : Pain

Hello readers and reviewers. Thank you, really, for your support!

Here some answers to your reviews (thanks again).

**miachi13** : To be honest, I like Yui's pixie form and I like to see her more active to free one of her parent. In the anime, she let Kirito do a large part of the work. In my story, both Kirito and Asuna could count on her. :)

**Snow** : thx for your review.

**PhantomGirl1223 :** I hope you'll like this chapter too. :)

**InvisableTarget : **Thank you for your advise. I'll keep it in mind! XD

**SKY blue** : My point. Princes also need to be saved once in a while. :D Thank you.

**Thelastsoldier21477 : **So far, you are the only one who points out the reference to Shakespeare. It makes me really happy! :) Thank you very much.

**Kikre** : I won't kill him, I promise (for now). :)

**i** : thx for your review.

Here is the second chapter. By the way, I wrote half of this chapter instead of sleeping, so there must be a lot of mistakes in it. I tried to fix a few things but I probably forgot a lot. I apologize in advance for that.

**Disclaimer** : I don't own SAO. The original story and the characters are property of Reki Kawahara.

**To save him**

**Chapter 2 : Pain**

**XxXxX**

_"You're crazy!" yelled Kirito._

_At that, Oberon laughed. _

_"Maybe, but here, I'm the one with the power. Now, come here and I promised to make it quick."_

_"In your dreams!"_

_"Well then, suit yourself. But remember that you ask for it."_

**XxXxX**

While flying to her father's cage, Yui couldn't help herself but be overjoyed.

_'Finally_, she thought, f_inally one of them acknowledge me!'_.

Unfortunately, the player had to disconnect right after she helped him, but he promised to return the favor sometime in the future. Of course, he could have been lying, Yui knew that. But he was the first one to thank her, just when she was starting to lose hope. That's why she wanted to believe that he would help her, or rather, help her father. He had to be someone worthy of her trust, otherwise...

Yui preferred not to think about it. He acknowledged her and it was a good news, that was all that mattered right now.

She continued her flight and had almost reached the cage when she heard a cry of pain and sounds of a fight.

"Papa!" she shouted while speeding up.

**XxXxX**

"What will you do now my little Puck?" asked Oberon. His voice was calm but he was obviously mad. His eyes, his face, everything in him spoke of madness. And the reason for this madness lay down on the floor, a few feet away.

Kirito had landed there after having managed to knock Oberon's sword out of his grasp. And, so far, the young prisoner was the one who won this little brawl, even if the sword almost stabbed him in the shoulder. But thanks to Lady Luck, and to Oberon's poor skills, it was just a scratch.

Carefully, Kirito get up and glared daggers at the so-called king of fairies.

"Stop that. The name's Kirito, you foolish man!"

"Foolish? Me? I'm only trying to help you getting back to the real world."

"By trying to stab me?! You're the one who trapped me here in the first place!" roared Kirito "And for what? Just because you can't take 'no' for an answer? What kind of adult are you?"

Kirito was so mad that he totally forgot to be cautious with his words, and it was his only mistake. Just after his outburst, he felt heavy, as if the gravity had increased. Every second that passed by, he felt heavier until he finally collapsed on his stomach, unable to stand up any longer.

He heard, more than he saw, Oberon walking toward him, stopping nearby.

The madman took Kirito by his shoulders and flipped him over so that he was now on his back. Then, he straddled the young man waist, a little knife in his right hand and a crazy smile on his face.

He bent forward and whispered in his left ear : "You're right, kid. I can't take 'no' for an answer".

Suddenly, Kirito felt an excruciating pain coming from his left hand and he couldn't help but scream.

**XxXxX**

Yui watched in horror as her father's left hand was stabbed by the GM. She knew, even if she couldn't do anything about it, that Kirito's pain absorber was turned off. She knew he must suffer a lot. But she couldn't help him. Kirito forbade her to enter the cage when Oberon was there.

She could only watch as her father tried to regain his breath while the madman got up, took a screenshot, and left the cage, satisfied.

**XxXxX**

Asuna was in her room, seated on her bed. It had been two days since her encounter with Sugô in Kirito's room and she was wondering if it was a good idea to incite Sugô to prove himself. If her beloved was really in the man's grasp, he would pay the price of her skepticism. Why did she have to ask him for a proof? Since then, she was anxious. Anxious to discover that what he said is the truth. Anxious to discover what he might have done to prove it.

She dropped herself on the soft mattress of her bed, exhausted.

"Kirito..." she whispered before falling asleep.

When she woke up the next morning, she saw on her phone that she received a mail during the night: it was from Sugô and was titled 'Hope it won't scar'.

Feverishly, she opened it. To her surprise, there was only a picture of a young man laying on his back with what seemed to be a big gash on his left hand. But what shocked Asuna the most was the guy's face: it was definitely Kirito. She recognized him despite of his elves' ears.

With this picture, she didn't know what to do : cry, because he seemed to be in a really bad situation, or be happy, because he was alive and she could save him?

Of course, she wouldn't marry Sugô for that but with the picture, she was now pretty sure that Kirito was locked in a game, she just needed to find which one. And, by the look of it, she had to find it quickly before Sugô really wounded her boyfriend.

While she was thinking about all of that, Asuna suddenly felt uneasy about something.

She watched the picture all over again but, despite Kirito, there wasn't much she could use. Everything around him was white : white floor, white walls... There was just a little tinge of blue, probably from the sky but nothing more.

Sighing, she closed the mail and was about to close her phone when she found out what was wrong. The message title 'Hope it won't scar'. Why would Sugô write that? With this picture, it was obvious that Kirito was trapped in a game, and game's characters didn't scar. Their wounds disappeared after some time. So why?

"It couldn't be..." she realized.

Asuna jumped out of bed, get dressed as quickly as she can, and exited her room, then her house as if someone was after her. She run up to the bus stop and dialed her brother's phone number.

After a few minutes, a tired voice answered : "Yeah?"

"Hello nii-san. Can I ask you something please?" asked the red-haired urgently.

"Asuna? What do you want?"

"Do you think it is possible that a wound inflicted in a game can affect the real body of the player too?"

"Huh? Why did you ask something like that?" replied her brother, surprised.

"Don't bother with 'why', just answer : is it possible or not?"

The bus arrived and she grew impatient.

"In theory, with all security removed, it might be possible, but no one will do it just to see if..." But Asuna didn't give him time to finish.

"Thank you nii-san. I'll call you later, bye." And with that, she hung up.

**XxXxX**

Once she was in Kazuto's hospital room, Asuna rushed to his side. To her relief, nothing seemed to have changed. Everything remained in its right place and she saw no sign of blood loss.

However, just to be sure, she took his left hand, the one which was supposed to be injured. And then, she saw it. It was faint, but it was there : a fine white scar on the back on the hand and in the center of his palm.

This man really went this far to prove her that he was the one in power. But if Sugô thought he won, he would really be disappointed : even if she had to sacrifice herself, Asuna will continue to fight.

One day, Sugô will pay.

**XxXxX**

And this is the end of chapter two. I'll correct mistakes and rewrite a few things later, since I'm still not totally satisfied (mostly because I'm pretty sure there is big mistakes everywhere).

Nonetheless, I hope you'll like it. If so, don't forget to review!

Thx you for reading.

Edit (June 2015) : This chapter is now revised thanks to Moshita's help. :)


	5. Chapter 3 : Suguha

Hello readers and reviewers. Thank you very much for your support!

Here some answers to your reviews (thanks again).

**Guest** : What happened to Sugô to make him like that? I think the answer is "jealousy". It's kind of sad in a way.

**PhantomGirl1223 : **Thank you! I didn't find much stories where Kirito needed to be rescued too. That's one of the reasons why I wrote this story. :)

**Azure Arpeggio** : Don't worry, I intend to finish this story. But let me some time to write it! XD Love your avatar by the way. I like Iona.

**AbyssAlyss1** : Thank you very much! Here a new chapter. I hope you'll enjoy it. ;)

**Otaku of Anime** : It takes a few days, but here another chapter.

**Asuna135246** : Here it is. :)

I struggle a lot with this chapter but I finally managed to write it. For that, I need to thank a good friend of mine, _**BleachHitsugaya**_, who give me some ideas.

Like always, I apologize in advance for any mistakes. I'll fix this chapter and the others later.

**Disclaimer** : I don't own SAO. The original story and the characters are property of Reki Kawahara.

**To save him**

**Chapter 3 : Suguha**

_This man really went this far to prove her that he was the one in power. But if Sugô thought he won, he would really be disappointed : even if she had to sacrifice herself, Asuna will continue to fight. _

_One day, Sugô will pay. _

**XxXxX**

It had been a hour or so since Asuna found out what Sugô had done to Kazuto. She was still furious but mostly at herself at the moment. She could not find an other way to save him than getting along with Sugô for now. She really didn't want to, especially not after what this madman did to the man she loves. But the more she thought about it, the more it appeared to be her only choice for now. And it infuriated her more and more each time she reached this conclusion.

The worst part of all this brainstorming was when she stopped pacing up and down to look at Kazuto's unconscious form. Every time, she could hear a small voice in her head saying "it's the only way for now". Each time she looked at him, she started to doubt herself : would she really be able to get along with Sugô to save him ? Is she that strong ?

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't hear anything when the door opened and someone entered the room.

"Asuna?"

**XxXxX**

Suguha Kirigaya, Kazuto's sister, often visited her brother before going to school. It was like a ritual for her. Plus, since she had to stay at school late every evening for her club, it was almost the only way for her to see him. Of course, she also visited him on her days off but it was not enough. Because each time she left this room to go to school, she felt as if it was the last time she sees her brother alive or, at the very least, breathing, since she could not really see him as a living person at the moment.

It had been two years and a half since the last time she talked to him. Two years and a half since she last saw his eyes open. Two years and a half since she last saw her parent's smile.

All of this was horrible and, for two years, she had to bear all this alone. And after all this time, she was about to break, to lose all hope to see her brother alive again. But that was when players began to wake up all around the country, and that was when she met Asuna.

A few days after her own awakening, the girl had come to see Kazuto with her brother. She was in a wheelchair and seemed to be really weak. She introduced herself as Kazuto's friend and ally in the game at first, but Suguha never really buy it because when Asuna looked at her brother, she didn't look at a friend or at an ally. She looked at something more. She looked at a lover. Asuna loved her brother and that's why Suguha chose to become her friend.

During the last six months, they managed to become really close and they shared a burden no one could understand. Sometime, they came together to visit Kazuto and keep him company but it was rare since both had a lot of things to do. Asuna because of her family and school, Suguha mostly because of training and competitions.

That was why Suguha was so surprised when she saw Asuna in her brother's room this early in the morning. All the more since the redhead didn't acknowledge her at all when she entered. She seemed worried and Suguha felt uneasy. She called for her.

"Asuna?"

**XxXxX**

The girl previously lost in her thought suddenly look at Suguha, startled. She also seemed a bit nervous.

"Oh, Suguha, it's you? Ah, of course it's you, like every morning. What time is it?" she asked while looking at her watch.

"This late already?! I better go if I don't want to be late. I'll see you this weekend." With that, she tried to get out of the room but Suguha blocked her escape route. Asuna's behavior was very much out of character and Suguha suspected her to hide something.

"What did you hide from me?" she asked suspiciously.

"N-Nothing" stuttered Asuna. But her body betrayed her since her face became a little redder. She didn't want to lie to Kazuto's sister, but she didn't want to involve her with Sugô either. The man had already proven that he was willing to do anything to get her and she didn't want the younger girl to get hurt.

"Asuna, please, you know you can trust me, right?"

Of course she could trust her. But she couldn't involve her, she just couldn't.

"Please" insisted Suguha.

And then, Asuna's resolve shattered. She needed to tell someone eventually, so why not Suguha? The girl already knew that something was wrong anyway. She just needed to be careful so that Sugô never finds out someone else is aware of the situation.

"Ok. I'll tell you, but not here. It would be a problem if someone drops by when I explain it to you."

"You can come at my place if you want. My parents are already at work. No one will disturb us." said Suguha, ready to leave.

"What about school?" asked the redhead.

"We skip, for this morning" answered the younger one with a big smile.

"You want me to skip classes?!"

"It'll be your first time? For real!? Come on, it's no big deal. You'll see." said Suguha with mirth in her voice.

And, without another word, the brunette took Asuna's hand and dragged her out of the room.

**XxXxX**

After what happened a few hours ago, Yui didn't left her father's side, even if he seemed to ignore her.

When Oberon left, she immediately rushed to Kirito's side but he didn't move at all for several minutes. Then, he got up, holding his injured hand, and walked a few feet only to collapse near the bars. Now, he leaned against them, still holding his hand even if the red angry mark was gone. Yui supposed that it was because he still felt the pain but she didn't ask. She just wanted to be here. To lend him her silent support, sit on his shoulder, leaning against his cheek.

**XxXxX**

It was almost noon and Suguha was making lunch for herself and Asuna. The redhead explained most of what she knew to the younger girl, however, she skipped the part about Kirito being injured in reality. She didn't said Sugô's name either. That way, the girl couldn't go after him by herself.

"Asuna, can you show me the picture that man sent to you?" asked Suguha while handing her a plate.

The redhead searched on her phone and handed her the device.

"There aren't many clues, I'm afraid. Everything's white : ground, walls..."

But Asuna was interrupted when her phone was suddenly dropped on the table. Then, she looked at Suguha's shocked expression.

"I-I know where he is" she gasped.

"You do?"

"Yeah, and you were right. He is locked in another game, it is called Alfheim Online."

**XxXxX**

"Yui, wake up dear."

The little fairy opened her eyes slowly. It seemed she had fallen asleep on her father's shoulder.

"Papa?" she asked groggily before realization hit her. "Are you ok? Do you feel fine? Does your hand still hurt?"

Kirito smiled at her and rubbed her hair.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry for making you worry."

She smiled back and flew on his head. Then, she proudly announced :

"If you feel better, I can give you the good news of the day! Someone acknowledged me, Papa!"

She began to tell her little adventure when Kirito heard footsteps: someone was coming... again.

The young prisoner suddenly got up, ready to defend himself.

"Yui, get out of here."

"But, papa..."

"No 'but' Yui. This is not my real body. They can't do anything really bad to it. That doesn't pertain in your case. I don't want to lose you, so listen to me and go back down there, I'll be fine!" he ordered her.

She hesitated a little but finally flew out of the cage, going back down.

**XxXxX**

And here ends chapter 3. Like always, I'll correct mistakes and rewrite a few things later. Someone kindly accept to help me, but she is busy right now so it will wait until December at least.

I hope you liked this chapter. Don't forget to review please! :)

Thx you for reading.

Edit (June 2015) : This chapter is now revised thanks to Moshita's help. :)


	6. Bonus : Kirito no monogatari

Hello everyone. Like always, thank you for everything.

In a lot of reviews, in the English and in the French version, I read that Kirito is 'too weak' or that he is 'weird' so I decided to write this chapter to clarify his state of mind in this fic. To me, Kirito is not weak, far from it and I want everyone to understand that you can be strong even if you don't swing a sword. ;) Kirito is mentally strong and that's what I want to show here, so enjoy.

**Disclaimer** : I don't own SAO. The original story and the characters are property of Reki Kawahara.

**To save him**

**Kirito no monogatari**

_**Six months after the battle between Kirito and Kayaba Akihiko (Heathcliff)/In parallel of the prologue**_

It's been six months since he cleared Sword Art Online. Six months that he was prisoner of this madman. Six months of boredom and useless fights with his captor. And six months since the last time he saw _her_.

"Asuna" he whispered quietly, as if the name alone can summon her by his side.

Kirito was lonely and bored out of his mind. He never felt so powerless before, so weak. Even in SAO, he could fight and took his fate into his own hands. But here, in this world, in this godforsaken cage, he could do nothing but wait. And it slowly drove him crazy.

He wanted to fight and get out of this cage by himself and had tried for the past six months. Every attempt ended in failure. He didn't give up though, but now, he wanted his plan to be perfect. He wanted everything planned and that's why he needed help. The help Yui was currently searching for.

When he had woken up for the first time in this cage, he had felt disorientated. He only remembered Aincrad being destroyed and the bright light that engulfed him and Asuna. Then, nothing but darkness and next, this strange white place.

Quickly, he had understood that he was in a game and he had met Oberon, the self-proclaimed 'king of fairies'. The man seemed to like listening to himself since he ranted a lot and it was boring. However, sometimes, the guy slipped a valuable piece of information and after a month of captivity, Kirito had finally a clear view of what was happening to him : this Oberon wanted to use him as a bargaining chip against Asuna because the girl refused to marry him. For what he had understood, Oberon was Asuna's fiancé before she played SAO. For two years, the guy had waited for her and sort of helped all the players when Argus bankrupted. His company took over the NerveGear maintenance and that was when he discovered her treason : she married someone else in this game. She married _him, Kirito_.

When he got this piece of information, the young prisoner instantly knew this man hated him and that he needed to get away from this world.

If he trusted Oberon's ranting, this new world was some kind of copy of SAO's system, so he tried to access his inventory to find his weapons when the king of fairies was away. But this time, Lady Luck had not been with him. All of his items were unusable. The only thing that remained, and he was relieved for that, was Yui's heart.

Thanks to her, he was not alone anymore, even if she had to quit the cage when Oberon came or when she tried to find help. It was only because of her and his memory of Asuna that Kirito remained sane for all this time.

But after six months, he began to lose all hope to get out of this one alive : it had been two years and a half since the last time he used his real body. Maybe he was dying and he didn't even know. Time is running out for him and he knew it.

**XxXxX**

Thank you for reading. I hope you'll understand his point of view better with this bonus.

I don't answer any review here but I'll do it in the next chapter like always, don't worry. :)

See you.

Edit (July 2015) : This chapter is now revised thanks to Moshita's help. :)


	7. Chapter 4 : Amusphere

Hello readers and reviewers. Thank you very much for your support!

By the way, I wish you a good holiday season !

Quickly, here are answers to some reviews (thank to every reviewer again).

**PhantomGirl1223 : **I hope the bonus about Kirito answers your question about Yui's heart. ;)

**Otaku of Anime** : Asuna may, or may not, dive in this chapter. You'll see. But I hope you'll keep reading this story. :)

**Vangran** : Yeah, that's what I feel too. This man is crazy enough to set up everything.

Also, thank to : **OTA-GAMING**, **AnonimousOtaku**, **Otakureader2000**, **Schreeching Harmony** and **tessa**. :)

By the way, and unfortunately, I had a lot of work recently, so I was unable to write. Now, with the end of the year coming, I don't have much time either so this chapter is shorter than usual. But I want to show that this story will continue. Please, bear with me a little more.

**Disclaimer** : I don't own SAO. The original story and the characters are property of Reki Kawahara.

**To save him**

**Chapter 4 : Amusphere**

_"Yui, get out of here."_

_"But, papa..."_

_"No but Yui. This is not my real body. They can't do anything really bad to it. This is not your case. I don't want to lose you, so listen to me and go back down there, I'll be fine!" he ordered her. _

_She hesitated a little but finally flew out of the cage, going back down._

**XxXxX**

While flying in the direction of the ground, Yui had a strange feeling, as if it was the last time she saw Kirito. But he ordered her to get away and she knew how he would feel if she came back, only to get hurt. The little pixie was on the verge of tears when, suddenly, a ray of hope hit her: the player she met the day before was back in game. Maybe he could help her. Without a second thought, she flew to where her card pinpointed his name.

**XxXxX**

If Asuna had to choose between surprise and happiness, she didn't know which one she would pick. How could Suguha find, at first glance, the location of Kirito when the only thing on the picture was the guy himself? But at the same time, it didn't matter at all: if Suguha spoke the truth, they now had an advantage on Sugô.

However, just to be sure, she asked : "How did you know for sure that he is in this world... Elfhaim Online was it?"

"It is Alfheim Online, Asuna" chuckled Kazuto's sister "Come with me, I'll show you something."

The redhead followed the younger Kirigaya up to her room and inside it after she invited Asuna.

Despite their friendship, it was the first time Asuna entered this room of the Kirigaya household. It was tidy, simple and with some girly stuff here and there (like a giant plush on top of the bed).

The dark haired girl went to that plush and took it in her arms. She seemed a little nervous and Asuna understood why when she spoke.

"Since you shared your secret with me, I'll share mine with you but, please, keep it to yourself" she asked almost pleadingly.

Surprised, the redhead shook her head in agreement, eager to know what Sugu would reveal to her.

The younger girl took the zipper of her plush's hidden pocket and opened it. The device she took out of it was strange and familiar at the same time. Suddenly, Asuna realized what it was as she saw one a month ago, when she was visiting her brother.

"An Amusphere?!" she gasped.

**XxXxX**

In ten minutes, Suguha had explain everything to Asuna: she began to play Alfheim Online when it was released, eight months ago. She thought that, this way, she could understand her brother, understood why he preferred virtual worlds to his loving family. She bought the game and the Amusphere secretly, with her own pocket money. She didn't want her parents to worry about her, so she didn't tell them anything, even if the Amusphere was highly secure unlike a NerveGear.

"I get what you mean" said the older girl after some time "But are your **really **sure this picture was taken in ALO? It could be another game."

Without answering, the dark haired teen pointed to the ceiling of her room. There, was a big poster with a beautiful blond fairy at the center.

"Doesn't it look like the design on your picture?"

The redhead looked closely at the blond fairy and was shocked.

"Indeed" she breathed.

"And if it could put your worry at ease, I have another clue here" Suguha said, pointing at the white tree, just behind the blond fairy.

Then, something clicked in Asuna's mind. She looked at the picture just to be sure and then realization hit her. What she had took for white walls at first were, in fact, this tree branches. Kirito was locked somewhere in this tree. Now, she knew what she had to do.

She smiled at Suguha in gratitude and the younger girl smiled back.

Now, there was just a little problem : she didn't know if she could dive, she was afraid of doing so. And even if she could, how can she? Her parents wouldn't let her and her brother would prefer to kill himself before lending her his Amusphere.

Suddenly, the atmosphere around her tensed and Suguha felt it. Instantly, she understood and, gently, she hugged Asuna.

"If you want to test your ability to use the Amusphere, I can lend you mine and my account for half an hour. If you don't get back by then, I'll help you out. How does it sound?"

Touched, the older girl agreed.

**XxXxX**

Asuna was lying on Suguha's bed, the Amusphere in place on her head. Her hands shook nervously and she couldn't help it. She breathed deeply to try and calm herself.

Kirito's sister was sitting on the floor, just next to the bed, and it helped her a little. She wasn't alone this time.

"Don't worry, if anything happens, I'm right here" she said.

"I trust you" was her answer. Then, Asuna focused on the poster, just above her. 'I'm coming, Kirito'.

"LINK START" she cried.

**XxXxX**

And here ends chapter 4. For those who will ask (again) why my chapters are not longer: I remind them that I write those in English AND in French. It took a lot of time so it is either short chapters but regular updates or longer chapters but only one update every three months (at best).

I chose regular updates. Please understand.

Again, I wish you a good holiday season. Don't forget to review please! :)

Thx you for reading.

Edit (July 2015) : This chapter is now revised thanks to Moshita's help. :)


	8. Bonus 2 : Kirito no monogatari 2

Hello and Happy New Year to everyone.

Right now, I'm more than busy, so I can't finish chapter 5. However, this bonus was on my notebook for some time and I was planning to post it anyway. I use it now so that you can see that I'm still writing this story. **Chapter 5** will be up **before february (or so I hope)**. Please, be patient.

Another thing I need to add here. Like some of you know, I'm French. Maybe some of you know what happened in my country a few days ago. It was really horrible.

I just want to write 3 words to mark my support to all the victims : I am Charlie.

**Disclaimer** : I don't own SAO. The original story and the characters are property of Reki Kawahara.

**To save him**

**Kirito no monogatari : How to fly**

_**_ALfheim Online, Kirito's cage. Two months after the destruction of Aincrad_**_

"You can do it, Papa!" shouted a tiny fairy to her 'father', a man known as Kirito, before the said man collapsed on the floor of the cage where he was currently held.

Sighing, he got up, almost defeated.

"It looks easier when I watch you" he said while his wings reappeared.

Two or three weeks ago, the young man had found Yui's heart in his inventory and awakened her.

When she first appeared, she was the same as he remembered but, quickly, she took her current appearance. The appearance of a cute but tiny fairy. She explained that, this way, the game system couldn't label her as a bug or some viruses and she wouldn't be destroyed.

But seeing her flying all day had made Kirito wonder if he could do it too, since this game seemed to be designed after the world of fairies.

She looked into his interface and found out that, indeed, he could fly and, since then, he was trying to learn how.

However, for some reason, he couldn't do it. Sure, he flew a little but never more than 2 minutes without crashing. Even with the tutorial and Yui's help, he couldn't do it properly.

But he wouldn't give up so he re-tried again and again.

_**_ALfheim Online, Kirito's cage. Three months after the destruction of Aincrad_**_

_"Yui, look! I'm still up! I'm not falling!" he exclaimed happily. _

_"This is great Papa!___" answered the little fairy, flying toward him. __

_After a little more than a month of training, Kirito had finally managed to fly around the cage. But there was still a little problem : his landing. _

_But he was confident. He would master it too with some more time. _

_**_ALfheim Online, Kirito's cage. Three months and a half after the destruction of Aincrad_**_

_While learning to fly, Kirito had been really cautious. He didn't want to be discovered by Oberon since he was planning to use his wings to get away when he had the chance. He kept them hidden when the jealous man was in the cage or when he was coming. Yui warned him each time._

_But this time, Yui wasn't here. She was inside the tree, searching for a way to open the cage when Oberon was away (the lock was a complicated program with a password). _

_The youngster was training to see for how long he could use his wings and he didn't see the madman coming. When he heard the door, it was too late._

_"Oh! I see you found your wings. It was a mistake I made but I was hoping you never found out actually.___" he said, his voice sugarcoated. __

_Kirito didn't reply and stay where he was, flying at the top of the cage, feeling that, in this moment, it was safer._

_Or so he thought. Suddenly, his wings vanished and he fell all the way to the cage floor. _

_"Ouch!___"__

_"Sorry, but I can't allow you this much freedom___" snickered Oberon.__

_Even if they were in a game, the young prisoner felt as if he had fallen from a very high cliff. Everything hurt. He couldn't even manage to glare at his captor._

_Seeing this, the king of fairies teased him some more :_

_"At least, now, you can acknowledge me as the one in power here___" he said, laughing. __

_Then, he left._

_Kirito stayed on the floor for some time afterward, trying to pick up his broken hope. He wouldn't give up. _

**_XxXxX_**

_Thx for reading. :) Reviews are welcome._

_Edit (September 2015) : This chapter is now revised thanks to Moshita's help. :)_


	9. Chapter 5 : ALO

Hello readers and reviewers. Thank you very well for your support!

Quickly (because I know you want to read this chapter asap), here are answers to some reviews (thank to every reviewer again).

**PhantomGirl1223 : **I had good holidays. Thank you. ;)

**Otaku of Anime** : I don't know Percy Jackson (or by name only). Sorry.

**Kanrei** : Thx for your 2 reviews. Yeah, Oberon is pretty cruel, especially toward Kirito. But those two hate each others.

**InsanityPie** : In this fic, there is no "backdoor account of hearthcliff". I think this part was really a waste in the original story (or how can the hero defeat a man without really fighting). I was really disappointed by this part. So I will not add it in here. Sorry.

Also, thank to : **Screeching Harmony**, **LadyIwashi**, **fangirl01music **and **Delta Marauder**. :)

By the way, I don't know when the next chapter will be out. But I hope to post a new chapter before the end of February. Please, bear with me a little more.

**Disclaimer** : I don't own SAO. The original story and the characters are property of Reki Kawahara.

**To save him**

**Chapter 5 : ALO**

_Then, Asuna focused on the poster, just above her. 'I'm coming, Kirito'._

_"LINK START" she cried._

**XxXxX**

When she opened her eyes, Asuna didn't really look around. She opened her menu and checked if the log out button was in there. Breathing a sigh of relief, she finally took a look at her surrounding.

She was in what looked like an inn. The room was all wood, from the floor to the door. There were two beds on the other side of the room and a little table at the center.

At her right was a window which admitted light in the chamber. She opened it and was greet with a fantastic view. The inn was in a village which reminded her of SAO. In a way, she felt as if she just returned home after a very long trip.

But at the same time, it was different from the death game because, here, players could fly. She saw a lot of them flew everywhere and it was really weird.

However, she was curious, like when she began SAO, so she closed the window, got down the stairs and left the inn.

She walked around a little, forgetting why she dive in the first place. This place felt so much like home that everything else seemed to be a bad dream, until someone called her.

"Hello Leafa-chan!"

'_Leafa-chan?_' she thought. Then, it hit her. She was using Suguha's avatar, not her own ! Suddenly, she remembered why she was in this game. She greeted the man who waved at her and walked away. She had to find the White Tree. On the poster, it seems to be really big. She should be able to see it from afar.

She searched for severals minutes but couldn't pinpoint the location of the tree. Sighing, she saw that she was almost out of time. The redhead was about to log out when a new player that seemed to know Suguha spoke to her.

"Here you are Sugu! Why didn't you come at school today?! I thought you were ill!"

The boy, who had green hairs, seemed genuinely worried and Asuna wondered what she could do. Can she answered in Suguha's place? Was it okay?

"Humm...I..." she began but was interrupted by another feminine voice. A very familiar voice which said :

"Please, help me!"

Then, a little fairy came into view and Asuna almost choked on her name.

"Yui!?"

**XxXxX**

Suguha had watched over Asuna for a little more than twenty minutes now and she was really happy. The girl seemed to be fine, since her pulse stayed steady and her breath was also normal.

It was almost time for her to come back and her fear seemed to have vanish once she entered ALO. That was a good thing. For her brother and for Asuna. Now, they could be able to help Kazuto from the inside.

But her optimism run low when Asuna's pulse accelerated brutally.

What happened? She didn't know, but she promised to wake her up if anything happened. Thus she began to call for her.

**XxXxX**

Confusion. That was what you can read in their eyes. Asuna was surprised to see Yui, the tiny fairy was surprised that someone acknowledged her (let alone knew her name) apart from the boy, Recon, beside her. Recon, on his side, didn't recognize Suguha's voice and he was the first one to ask his question :

"Who are you? You are not Sugu."

Asuna was at a loss of words and when she was notified that someone called for her, she knew that her time in this game was over.

She decided to ignore the boy and focused on Yui, her eyes watering while she spoke :

"It's me, Asuna. If you can, say to your father that I'll come back to save him. Right now, I'm running out of time, but I'll come back. I promised you, Yui."

She was crying. She didn't want to log out, but it seemed Suguha was worried about her, so she waved goodbye and left the game.

**XxXxX**

"Asuna, please, come back!"

That was the first thing the Flash heard when she came back to reality. She felt Suguha's hand on her shoulders and decided to put her worries at ease. She took the Amusphere off and sat on the bed. She felt a little disorientated and took a little time to adjust. Then, she looked at the younger Kirigaya and smiled.

However, to her surprise, Suguha looked at her as if something was wrong. Hesitantly, she asked :

"Asuna, why are you crying?"

"Am I?" she answered, touching her cheeks. Indeed, they were wet. '_Why?' _she wondered.

Images then came to her mind, images of her life in Sword Art Online, her life as a Knight of the Blood, her life with Kirito and Yui at their cabin, Yui's disappearance... Everything.

She suddenly burst into tears and Suguha climbed on the bed, by her side, hugging her, soothing her. She didn't ask what happened. Questions could wait.

**XxXxX**

"What just happened?" said Recon, dumbfounded.

But Yui was really shocked too.

"Mama" was the only thing she could say at the moment, so Recon took her in his hands and flew away from the city. This way, she would be able to calm herself without anyone disturbing them.

**XxXxX**

It took almost half-an-hour but Asuna finally managed to calm herself enough to be able to explain what happened to her friend.

"Are you sure that girl, Yui, can reach my brother?"

"I'm not really sure, I didn't let her answer. But he was the one keeping her heart. If she is in this game, I'm now 100% sure that he is as well." replied the redhead.

"It could be another..." began Suguha.

"No! I'm sure this is our Yui! She seems as shocked as me!"

Surprised but convinced by Asuna's outburst, the younger Kirigaya changed the subject.

"What do we do now?"

"I need an Amusphere, the game and a place where I could play. It would be impossible at home..." answered Asuna.

"For the place, you could play here. My parents work from dawn to dusk anyway. As for the Amusphere and the game... can't you borrow one?"

The redhead thought for a minute. Indeed, some of her friends from SAO bought Amuspheres. She could try to ask. It wouldn't hurt.

"I'll try. Can we dive together tomorrow?"

"No problem, if you find an Amusphere of course. Will we skip classes again?" asked Suguha with the ghost of a smile on her lips.

"Indeed."

**XxXxX**

Yui flew toward the top of the World Tree. Toward Kirito. She never felt such joy in her short life.

Earlier, she discussed with Recon and explained what she can to him. The boy seemed unconvinced but he promised to ask his friend if she knew of a girl called Asuna.

However, Yui didn't need any proof to know that it was her mother. She had to announce it to her father. Hope will return to him in no time, she was sure of that.

That is, if she could reach him.

Right now, the cage was within her reach and she flew as fast and as hard as she could, but she was kept a few feet away from the bars by what seemed to be a giant, invisible and powerful barrier.

It block her out. She couldn't reach Kirito anymore.

**XxXxX**

And here ended chapter 5.

I think this is the longest chapter I write in English so far. I hope you'll like it.

By the way, if I ask for reviews, it's mainly for 2 reasons.

The first one : I need to know if people read the story and like it.

The second one : I need to know what you think about my chapters (without flames of course).

So, obviously, a review where I can only read "3" didn't help me much.

Please, understand that I didn't ask review for the sole purpose to receive a lot. ;)

So feel free to write how you felt about my chapters (without flames). Thank you. :)

Thx you for reading.


	10. Chapter 6 : Erika

Hello readers and reviewers! Like always, thank you very well for your support!

Quickly, here are answers to some reviews :

**Cupcakekitten1** : xD Sorry, but I like cliffhangers. Don't hit me please.

**Delta Marauder** : Sorry, but it will really get tough to updates more ofter until this summer (but I planned to end this story before that). I'm really busy right now and, for some reason, I can't see the end of it yet. T_T

**Kanrei** : You're absolutely right about the hopeful/hopeless side that take the story. :) Hope you'll like this chapter.

** .1** : How I totally agree with you. This is why I write this story in the first place. Thank you very much for your review.

Also, thank to : **Screeching Harmony**, **ethanhaynes79**, **dragonsoul97**, **LadyIwashi**, **kataangfan1999**, **Souma Aquifina – Yulli K. Liam**.

I don't know when the next chapter will be out. Probably in March but it might be at the end of February.

**Disclaimer** : I don't own SAO. The original story and the characters are property of Reki Kawahara.

**To save him**

**Chapter 6 : Erika**

_"Can we dive together tomorrow?"_

_"No problem, if you find an Amusphere of course. Will we skip classes again?" asked Suguha with the ghost of a smile on her lips. _

_"Indeed."_

**XxXxX**

_**The following day**_

When she knocked at the door of the Kirigaya household, Asuna was really hopeful. While waiting for Suguha, she hugged her bag a little harder. Inside was the key of their plan to rescue Kirito : an Amusphere. Klein lent it to her without asking much because he was 'really busy with work' and need to stop playing for some time. In a way, this was rather a bit of luck for him and for her. He also kindly let her borrow the game since he had it. She was at a loss of words at the time but she had to thank him properly once Kirito would be safe.

After several minutes, her friend opened the door, a bright smile on her face :

"You managed to find one in less than 24 hours. You're really something!" she said while inviting the redhead inside. Asuna smiled back and entered the house.

Once settled in Suguha's room, Asuna was about to start the game with her own account but something bothered her. The younger Kirigaya felt it and sat beside her.

"Are you still uneasy about diving? If you want, we can try another time... or I can go alone."

"No way!" was the sudden answer. "You will not fight this man alone. Plus... I think I'm as ready for this as I can right now. Yesterday, when I saw Yui, I realized that my family is in this game and they need me. Kirito gave me a place to return to when we were trap in SAO. Now, it's my turn to help him find his way back home."

Suguha could only agree to that.

"Okay. I'll be by your side if anything happen anyway. Oh! By the way, chose the Sylph race for your avatar. This way, I'll could easily found you."

The redhead shook her head and added : "Search for the one named 'Erika'. I'll wait for you at the Sylph town of beginning."

"Yes ma'am" answered Suguha playfully. Then, after Asuna dived, she took her own Amusphere and joined her friend in the world of fairies.

**XxXxX**

_**At the same time, at RECT headquarters**_

In his office, Sugô Nobuyuki was beyond furious.

"How can this little punk still rebel against me, after all this time! He should be broken! If he manage to quit the game... My life... My career... My wealth... Asuna..."

Angrily, he bit his thumb. Suddenly, he got up and shout :

"No, he would not! I'll make sure of that. And Asuna will be mine and mine only."

He then left the room, an evil plan in mind.

**XxXxX**

While waiting for Suguha, Asuna tried to learn how to fly since it would be needed to travel to the big white tree. Surprisingly, she managed to understand how to do it quickly, with only one or two failed attempt.

When the younger Kirigaya, named Leafa in game, arrived, she was surprised to see how good Asuna/Erika was at flying.

"With some training, you'll certainly be able to beat me. You're truly amazing. I now understand why my brother chose you."

At the last sentence, Erika suddenly became as red as a tomato.

"Stop joking around" said Asuna, hiding her eyes behind the blonde locks of her avatar. "Speaking of your brother, we're here to rescue him, so led the way to the tree please."

And Leafa do as she was asked.

**XxXxX**

Along the way, the two girls meet up with Yui who was a little lost between Leafa and Erika since Asuna was 'Leafa' the last time she saw her. But after some explanations, she understood and decided to help them. She provided directions (mainly shortcuts) and support during battle with monsters and others players.

At the end of the day, Asuna/Erika could see the giant tree from afar. It was breathtaking. Truly and utterly beautiful. She understood why Suguha love this game. She really liked it herself after just a day of playing but it was sad to think that this game was also a prison for her love.

She was lost in this thoughts when Leafa's voice wake her up :

"Earth to Asuna. We need to log out for today. Otherwise, my parents will be back home before us."

"Already? But we'll came back tomorrow, right?"

"Of course!"

"Okay then. Yui, I'll see you tomorrow too?" asked Erika to her daughter.

"Yeah. See you tomorrow mama." answered the tiny fairy, smiling and waving goodbye when the two girls log out.

But once she was alone, tears started to run down her cheeks.

"It was too hard. Her smile was so bright. How can I tell her that papa is not reachable anymore, even for me?"

And with that, the tiny fairy burst into tears.

**XxXxX**

During two days, Asuna and Suguha skipped classes to play ALO in order to save Kazuto. Every ounce of their time without parents were spent in the game. They even stopped their visits to Kirito's hospital room. Saving him was more important.

Of course, since she couldn't take the Amusphere to her house, Asuna used the plushie of the dark haired one to hide it. And everyday, she came from dawn to dust to play.

Friday evening, when they stopped playing, their avatars were at the bottom of Yggdrasil.

The two girls were overjoyed so they didn't notice Yui's sad expression at the time. They log out and decided on what to do the next day, a Saturday.

Suguha's mother didn't work Saturday's morning so the girls decided to went to Kirito's hospital. Then, they would play and released him from the game during the afternoon.

That sound good. They agreed with each other to meet up in front of the Kirigaya household at 10:00 am, and Asuna left.

**XxXxX**

_**Saturday morning**_

With big bags under her eyes (she was too excited to sleep), Asuna knocked at the door of Suguha and Kazuto's house just before 10 o'clock.

No one answer.

Worried, she tried again and, after a very long time, Sugu opened the door but something was off. She was crying.

Feeling anxious, Asuna asked : "What happened? Is it about Kirito?!"

The younger girl shook her head.

"Asuna, something terrible happen." And then, the dark haired one threw herself into the redhead and cry.

Without understanding much, Asuna hugged back and entered the house.

**XxXxX**

And here ended chapter 6.

Again, thank you for all your reviews. Feel free to send new ones. ;)

Thx you for reading.


	11. Chapter 7 : Reality

Hello readers and reviewers! Thx you very to everyone for your support and your patience!

Quickly, here are answers to some reviews :

**Cupcakekitten1** : Hope you'll forgive me. ;)

**LadyIwashi **: Thank you. Happy to see that you appreciate my way of doing things. ;)

**OTAgaming** : Thank for the review, even if you were lazy. xD

Also, thank to : **Screeching Harmony**, **Delta Marauder**, **dragonsoul97**, **Kanrei**, **kataangfan1999**, **Saolover**.

Like always, I don't know when the next update will be. Maybe before the end of this month. I'll try my best. :)

**Disclaimer** : I don't own SAO. The original story and the characters are property of Reki Kawahara.

**To save him**

**Chapter 7 : Reality**

_"Asuna, something terrible happen." And then, the dark haired one threw herself into the redhead and cry._

_Without understanding much, Asuna hugged back and entered the house._

**XxXxX**

They were in the Kirigaya's living room. Asuna was sitting on the couch, still partially hugging Suguha who had just stop crying. Her mother, who promised to explain everything, has gone to the kitchen to fetch some tea.

The redhead was worried. What happened? Obviously, something happened to Kirito but what could it be? Did Sugô have anything to do with this situation? She hoped not.

When Mrs Kirigaya came back, she handed her a cup of tea and sat in an armchair in front of the girls.

"I'm truly sorry" she began, looking at her daughter "But we didn't have much of a choice. It was that or letting him die."

Asuna was shocked. "Letting him die?" she repeated mechanically.

Suguha's mother looked at her and apologized :

"Ah, sorry. It must be confusing for you, since you were trapped in the game as well. I'll explain from the beginning then.

You see, when the world realized that a lot of people were trapped in a game and that these players will need medical attention in order to survive in this world, an association was created to help with their hospital costs. It helped us a lot but it stopped it's activities four months ago because, except my son, every survivor has woken up."

At these words, a single tear run down her cheek.

"Of course, we continue to pay ourselves but we were running out of saving. At this rate, we would be unable to pay for much longer.

Then, a few days ago, someone call me at work. A new association, led by a wealthy man who run a hospital, propose to fully take care of Kazuto. We discuss it with my husband and I accept the transfer yesterday. My son is not in town anymore and I didn't know myself where he is but the doctor promised to send mails about Kazuto's state every two days and if this is the price for him to live, then so be it."

Asuna was dumbfounded. She didn't know how to react. Mrs Kirigaya was obviously doing this thinking it was the best way to save her son but, at the same time, she couldn't help but be furious at her.

In her mind, it was clear that Sugô was behind all this. Kirito was now in is grasp, body and soul, and if he want he could... No that wasn't an option. He was jealous but he wouldn't kill someone just to get her... right?

Fear began to creep in her. Slowly, painfully.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't realize she was trembling until Sugu shook her lightly.

"Asuna, are you ok?"

"Ye-Yeah" she stuttered. Then, she suddenly got up and bowed "I'm sorry to have disturb you when you have to cope with such terrible news. I'm leaving now". Turning to Suguha she added "I'll come back tomorrow" and she left.

Suguha ran after her and catch the redhead in the garden.

"What was that about?!" she asked annoyed and worried at the same time.

"I can't explain everything to you but I'm pretty sure _**he **_is__behind this help from the heavens and I want to confirm it as soon as possible. Don't worry, I'll send you a mail."

"I won't let you go alone!"

"We have to! If you came with me, he will get suspicious" retorted the redhead. "Don't worry, everything will be alright. I promise."

**XxXxX**

_**An hour or so later, at Sugô's house **_

The owner of the house looked with a big smile at the medical room he had prepared for his guest. The boy was lying in his bed, his NerveGear still in place. Satisfied, he closed and locked the door and met one of his accomplice in charge of monitoring the youngster.

"I entrust him to you. Watch him carefully and, if he wake up, contact me right away, understood?"

"Yes, sir. However, why did you keep him alive like that? It would be easier to..."

"I know" Sugô interrupted. "I know it would be easier but I'm no murderer. Besides, I'll definitely lose Asuna if her dear _husband_ die" he added, gritting his teeth.

"I understood. If you'll excuse me then, I'll return to my work" said the accomplice before leaving.

The man was gone for less than a minute when Sugô's phone rang. It was Asuna. Quickly, he pick up :

"Sugô, we need to talk. I'm in front of your house. Could you let me in please?"

Blissfully, he accepted.

**XxXxX**

Asuna left the mansion thirty minutes later, relieved. It was hard for her to keep calm in front of Sugô, especially when she thought about all he had done until now, but she needed to find the truth.

When she asked him about Kazuto's disappearance, he didn't seem surprised but denied any involvement of his part, saying that he would 'never waste his money for that guy' – his words, not hers.

Asuna agree to the fact that Sugô will never _help_ Kirito, but she also know that he is the only one who will gain something from his disappearance.

When she get out after their discussion, she was 100% sure that her _fiancé_ was guilty, but in this world, she felt powerless. She would need help. The help of someone older and more powerful than herself.

Walking in the street, she took out her phone and dialed her brother's number.

"Koîchirô? This is Asuna. I have something I need to tell you. Can I drop by ?"

**XxXxX**

And here ended chapter 7.

I know, this is really short, and I'm really sorry. I'll try to write some more next time.

By the way, this story will reach the end soon. Maybe in three chapters (with the epilogue). Maybe a little more.

I hope you like this chapter, even if it's short.

Thx you for reading and don't forget to review. ;)


	12. Chapter 8 : Kôichirô

Hello readers and reviewers ! First of all, thank you very much for your patience and to those who support me! If this chapter is here now, it is mostly because of you.

I know that I posted this chapter a long time after the previous one which was released at the beginning of March, and I deeply apologize, but there is actually two reasons for this.

The first one is a review (which was deleted). Someone complained **AGAIN** about the longer of my chapters. Since I repeated a lot of time why my chapters are not really longs, I was really fed up when I read this new complaint about it. By the way, if my chapters are too shorts for your liking, feel free to do better (without stealing my ideas of course).

As for the other reason... In real life, one of my co-worker broke one of her arm, so I had to work extra hours to replace her. As a result, I was unable to write during this time. Now it's over and I'm back. :)

Again, I thank those who support me, especially the ones who sent reviews :

**LadyIwashi **: No, I didn't read it and I didn't found it either. Is it a SAO fanfiction?

**Azure Arpeggio (Limitless)** : I never expect to write so many chapters either! XD It was just supposed to be a one-shot at the beginning.

**Screeching Harmony **: You're really kind. If only everyone could be like you. ;)

**Kanrei** : Hope you'll like this chapter then. ;)

**sailorlyoko4life** : I'm really happy that you've like my story so far. Can't wait to work with you (if we manage it).

Also, thank to : **Delta Marauder**, **my music is anime**, **OTAgaming**, **cupcakekitten1**.

Special thank to **The Unofficial Commenter **who review on chapter 10. You're review really motivated me to write this chapter.

A lot of work is coming soon, so I don't know when the next update will be, but I'll try my best.

Enjoy. :)

**Disclaimer** : I don't own SAO. The original story and the characters are property of Reki Kawahara.

**To save him**

**Chapter 8 : Kôichirô**

_Walking in the street, she took out her phone and dialed her brother's number._

_"Koîchirô? This is Asuna. I have something I need to tell you. Can I drop by ?"_

**XxXxX**

A few minutes after her phone call, the girl was just before her brother's door, about to knock. But suddenly, she felt nervous.

As far as she could remember, Asuna saw her brother as someone who deeply love her. Of course, like every sibling, they had their meaningless fights, but she know for a fact that Kôichirô would do anything for her if she ask. He could be trusted, she knew that, but on the other hand, he worked for RECT, Sugo's company.

Originally, RECT was create by Mr Yûki, Kôichirô and Asuna's father. When his son had graduated from university, he had offered him a job in RECT and had hoped for him to become the next CEO of the company. However, the young man had turn down his offer since he was not really fond of paperwork. He preferred jobs 'on the field' as he stated it. Going on business trips, meeting people, negotiate contracts for the company... That was what he truly like. Of course, a CEO did it too, but there was so much more behind this title, and he didn't want any of it.

Unfortunately, he had regretted his choice soon after, when his parents had decided to betroth his little sister to one of his co-worker, Sugô Nobuyuki. The man had been close to Mr Yûki and was eager to succeeded him. For their parents, things had been settled but Asuna had always felt as if she had absolutely no choice in the matter and Kôichirô had always felt guilty.

Soon after this, a new kind of game was about to be released, Sword Art Online. Thanks to his connections, the Yûki son, who liked to play games, had been able to acquire it beforehand but was unable to play it because of a business trip. So, when his sister had asked him if she could used his NerveGear, he had accepted. It had been his way to apologize for the engagement she had been trapped into because of his selfishness.

He learnt what happened in the plane who bring him back to Japan, several days later. No one had informed him of anything so, until he saw her in her hospital bed, he had hoped that his precious little sister was not one of the trapped players.

After this, his guilt had known no end and, when Asuna had woken up, he was so happy that he could have reach for the moon if she asked for it. Instead, she asked for the boy she loved and he found him for her.

Really, Kôichirô Yûki would do anything for his sister if it didn't put her life on the line and that's why she didn't involve him sooner : in the last few days, she did a lot of things he would disapproved. He would also be angry, she knew it, but on the other hand, she currently **need** his help more than anything. Plus, she sworn some days ago that she would do anything if it could save Kirito. She would not hesitate any longer. Her brother waited for her and her story.

She knocked.

**XxXxX**

Kôichirô's flat was smaller than what she expect and it was really simple, almost empty, even if he had lived there for the past two years.

While waiting for her brother to come back with the tea, the young girl let her gaze traveled around the living room : the walls were all white with some paintings hung on them here and there. A little table, two modern armchair, a light brown sofa and a big TV screen on another little table were the only pieces of furniture in the room.

In a way, with all this white and emptiness, it almost felt like a hospital room and the young redhead felt uneasy.

"Asuna? Why did you not sit down?" asked her brother when he entered the room with two smoking mugs.

The young girl apologize and sat on the sofa. Kôichirô sat in one of the armchair to face her and put the mugs on the table. Averting his gaze, Asuna took a sip of tea and began her long explanation, since she planned to spill everything to her brother, from her very first day in SAO until what happen an hour or so earlier with Sugô.

**XxXxX**

When his sister ended her story, Kôichirô didn't know what to say, so he stayed quiet.

To him, there was a lot of things unbelievable in her tale and, even if Sugô was madly in love with her, he didn't think the man would kidnap a young boy or lock him in a game just to force her to marry him. That was just crazy and there was too much for him to lose if it was discovered. Yet again, he didn't think his sister would lie to him about something like that either. She even admitted diving again while she knew it would angered him.

When his eyes met hers, Asuna seemed to understand his doubts. She fumbled a little with her phone and handed him the device.

At first, Kôichirô only saw a picture of what looked like an elf with pointy ears. He still didn't understand so he looked up.

"Look at who send it" answer his sister.

He searched for the name and then, everything was as bright as the light of day. That was the proof his sister asked of Sugô !

"It could be a trick" he said, still uncertain.

"It was my first thought too, but I can assure you this is not the case."

The siblings discuss some more until Asuna finally grew impatient.

"This is enough talk. At this very moment, Kirito is still in Sugô's grasp and heavens only know what this man was doing to him right now. If I came here, it's to ask for your help so, will you help me saving him? Please nii-san."

Her brother thought some more.

"Ok, I'll try my best in this world. By the way, didn't you say Sugô proposed to you again when you were at his place?"

"Yeah, but I only said I would give it some thought" answered the redhead.

"Good. In this case, I have an idea. Tomorrow, I will go to his mansion to discuss the matter as well as many other work things. Like always, our meeting will be in his office. I'll search it as soon as I have an opportunity. One of my friend could easily give me one. At the same time, another friend will search Sugô's office at work. Fortunately, we will found proofs and, once we have them, we'll go to the police. Don't worry."

Asuna had faith in her brother so she shook her head in agreement.

"Thank you. At the same time, Suguha and I will dive in ALO. I want to release Kirito physically and mentally as soon as possible."

Kôichirô sighed. He had hope his sister would stopped diving if he helped her.

"Ok. You can use my apartment for that if you need but, please, be careful."

"Don't worry, I'm not alone. Plus, I can take care of myself. Don't worry."

He smiled at her and she returned the gesture. The redhead suddenly felt warmer and happier than in the past days. In a few hours, if everything went well, she would be able to see her boyfriend again.

She thanked her brother and took her leave.

On her way home, she dialed Sugu's number to inform her and return hope in her heart. They would manage it. They would save him.

**XxXxX**

And here ended chapter 8.

Hope you've like it. Feel free to review. ;)

Thx you for reading.


	13. Kirito no monogatari : End

Hello and sorry! I know it has been two months since the last update and I'm truly sorry about it. Life went crazy in April and a lot of work threatened to swallow me in May. It was really hard to find some time to write one chapter, let alone two (since this story is written in English and in French).

But I'm back now, with a new chapter. Next one will be the last so, don't worry, I'll end this story even if it take some more time. ;)

Now, I really want to thanks all reviewers. Because of you, I managed to write this chapter, even if it took a while. Thank you very much!

**Screeching Harmony **: She's fine now, thank you. ;)

**LadyIwashi **: Didn't read it but maybe one day. ;)

Also, thank to : **KittenofthePastries**, **Kanrei**, **Invisable Target**, **TheSib**, **kirito27**, **AtomPulse97**.

**Disclaimer** : I don't own SAO. The original story and the characters are property of Reki Kawahara.

**To save him**

**Kirito no monogatari : End**

_"Yui, get out of here."_

_"But, papa..."_

_"No 'but' Yui. This is not my real body. They can't do anything really bad to it. This isn't the same in your case. I don't want to lose you, so listen to me and go back down there, I'll be fine!" he ordered her. _

_She hesitated a little but finally flew out of the cage, going back down._

_**_ALfheim Online, Kirito's cage. A few minutes after Yui flew away._**_

When Oberon entered his cage, Kirito was relieved : he was able to protect Yui from this guy again but, at the same time, he was afraid for himself.

It was not the first time Oberon came just to beat him up a little. He was used to it. But this time, he knew just by looking at the madman that he was in it for a lot of pain.

Instinctively, he stepped back, his sight set on the King of Fairies, waiting for whatever was coming his way.

To his surprise, Oberon didn't attack. He stayed at the entrance of the cage, unmoving, for what seemed to be hours for Kazuto. Then, suddenly, the 'god' of ALO began to laugh like the madman he was.

He laughed and laughed, so hard that his jaw must have been about to break from it when he stopped.

He watched Kirito, a sinister grin plastered on his face.

"My poor, poor little Puck" he said while approaching the youngster. "It seems she doesn't care about you one bit."

The younger one was taken aback.

"What do you mean?" he asked, stepping back again to stay out of reach.

"It's simple : I sent her the proof she asked for. She now knows that you are in my grasp but she continues to ignore me!" He almost yelled the last part. "And this is entirely your fault!"

At this point, the grin had disappeared from the madman face which was now contort with fury, and Kirito was out of options : his back was against the bars of the cage. He was trapped and Sugô knew it.

Then, everything happened in a split seconds. Oberon lunged towards Kirito who evaded him only by luck and reflexes. The young man was about to retaliate when he saw something really interesting out of the corner of his eyes : the door was open ! In his madness state, the King totally forgot about closing the door ! Without thinking anymore, Kirito made a run for it and reached the exit in no time. For good measure, he closed it behind him and run towards the trunk of the tree where a control panel could log him out.

He was so happy at the idea of finally being free that he didn't hear all the profanities Oberon threw his way.

The only thing that crossed his mind at the moment was 'freedom'.

**_XxXxX_**

**__ALfheim Online, the Game Master's room, a_____ few hours later___**

_"What do you mean you couldn't find him?" yelled Oberon at one of his subordinate. "He could not get away from this trunk ! Every exit is protect by an invisible barrier and the control panel room is heavily guard. Plus, he never got inside this trunk and can't possibly know where to go so how can he escape you?!"_

_The subordinate knew better than to answer what he had in mind : it was his boss's fault that the teen escape from his cage in the first place. And since he had nothing more to say, he stayed quiet. _

_Sugô was about to yell again when he received a message. He had an important reunion to attend in the real world._

_Furious, he glared at the only other person in the room :_

_"You better find him quickly___" he threated before disconnecting.__

**_XxXxX_**

_Thanks to Yui and the map she produced for him a while ago, Kirito knew the trunk like the back of his hand. Plus, the map pinpointed the location of everyone except Kirito himself, since he was invisible for the system. Another little stunt pulled by Yui. _

_This way, it was easy for him to hide and wait for the opportunity to log out. He knew that the control panel room would be guarded right after his escape. He also knew that every other exit was now out of question and that, maybe, Yui couldn't reach him anymore. _

_At the moment, he was alone, but it was the first time he managed so well. He truly hoped it would stay that way until he was finally free!_

_Patiently, he waited for hours, days even, shifting place from time to time, until he managed to sneak past the guards of the control panel room, two lazy and disgusting yellow slugs. _

_When he reached the panel, he couldn't believe it. In front of him was the key to the real world, to his freedom. He pressed his hand on it and pressed the log out button when it appeared, leaving his cage and six months of nightmare behind him._

**_XxXxX_**

_And here ends chapter 9. _

_I hope you like it even if there are a lot of grammar mistakes. I'm sorry about it but I hope I can fix it someday. _

_Don't forget to review. Thank you for reading. ;)_

_Edit (September 2015) : This chapter is now revised thanks to Moshita's help. :)_


	14. Chapter 9 : Rescue

Hello everyone.

As you must know if you read my previous chapter, this is the last chapter of 'to save him' **BUT **there will be an **epilogue** that I'll send as soon as possible.

By the way, since I finally found a beta reader, some of my previous chapters were revised. Feel free to re-read them.

Like always, I want to thanks all reviewers. Thank you for your reviews. Very much.

**LadyIwashi** : Don't worry, I perfectly understood what you wanted to say. We have something similar in French. :)

**Delta Marauder** : I think we had settled this with PM but just in case : it was not the end and you would have known it if you just had read the note. No offense.

**Moshita** : In one of your review, you pointed out that Asuna was not a redhead and it's true. In the novel, she is described as chestnut. But in the anime, I see her as a redhead. That's why she is one in this story. I'm really sorry if it disturb anyone.

Also, thank to : **TheSib**, **nine telled cherry blosom 28**, **Turtlekier42**, **mythicat554**, **Zellona**, **Levyathan Shadows**, **Luthien Teantin**.

**Disclaimer** : I don't own SAO. The original story and the characters are property of Reki Kawahara.

**Beta Reader** : Moshita

**To save him**

**Chapter 9 : Rescue**

_On her way home, she dialed Sugu's number to inform her and return hope in her heart. They would manage it. They would save him. _

**XxXxX**

It was the D-Day and Asuna felt really nervous while waiting for Suguha in her brother's flat. He went away to Sugô's mansion a few minutes ago but, even if he assured her everything will be alright, she couldn't help but being stressed. What if Sugô suspected something? What if Kôichirô didn't make it in time? What if Kirito was already...?

She shook her head. She needed to stop to consider worst-case scenarios. It would drive her nuts.

According to Yui, Kirito was still in the tree last time she dived in ALO, so she was pretty sure he was still alive. Plus, Sugô was firmly convinced that he had the upper hand right now. How could he suspect anything?

Reassured, she sighed and slowly calmed herself, waiting patiently for Sugu.

When the younger Kirigaya arrived some time later, the two girls greeted each other before getting straight to Kôichirô office.

Asuna explained a few things she didn't mention during her phone call the previous day and then, they quickly dived, impatient to see Kazuto again.

**XxXxX**

When he reached Sugô mansion, Kôichirô felt a little uncomfortable. Even if he wished to help his sister and her boyfriend, he still felt bad for doing this to a man who was his CEO, almost his brother-in-law, and a co-worker he knew for a very long time. He also pondered on what would happen to him and his sister if they were found out... or if they found nothing. What will Asuna do if they couldn't help this young man, Kazuto, in the end? And what if she was wrong all along? What if Sugô had nothing to do with this and everything was just a big misunderstanding? Knowing his sister, he doubted it was the case but he couldn't rid himself of the idea.

But then again, here he was, in front of Sugô's doorstep. Better take the chance and feel sorry later than do nothing. Plus, one of his friend would take the risk to search the CEO office in RECT sometimes this very morning. He couldn't quit now nor could he fail.

With that in mind, he rang the doorbell and waited.

**XxXxX**

Asuna was overjoyed to be back in ALO. She really grew fond of that world and she hoped she would be able to play it some more even after Kirito would be safe. However, she doubted the young man would want to accompany her since he was sort of forced to play it as a prisoner for so long. It saddened her a little but remained her why she was here, at the foot of Yggdrasil, with a blonde fairy named Leafa.

They walked towards the entrance of the tree. Every player could enter it but the door that led to the top was deemed impassable. Every group of player who tried were wiped out by the guards.

However, they wouldn't back down at this point.

But just when they were about to enter, Yui arrived and stopped them :

"Mama, I have something important to tell you!" she exclaimed.

**XxXxX**

They had worked on numerous papers for about one hour and a half when Koîchirô began questioning his CEO.

"It seems you're still really fond of my sister, aren't you?"

Without looking at him, Sugô answered : "Yeah, of course. After all, she was my fiancée before the whole SAO incident and I still love her deeply. Why do you ask that?"

"She came at my apartment yesterday and said you proposed to her again recently. I think she didn't know how to answer you. After all, you know that my parents are still a little shake off with what happened, right? They will not let her go right now. Especially my dad."

Finally, the man faced him.

"If I remember everything, you helped her to postpone our wedding, don't you?" he said in a icy tone.

"It was her wish to wait a little. And I only talk to our mother about it. Nothing more."

This was getting awry. He needed to find another subject to focus on. And quickly : Sugô was about to reply.

But just before the 'fiancé' could utter a word, his cellphone rang and he picked it up.

"Sugô Nobuyuki on the line. What is it?"

Kôichirô didn't understand what the man on the other end said but he was pretty sure it wasn't good news when his boss roared :

"WHAT!? Don't do anything, I'm coming."

He hang up and turned to the Yûki son.

"Sorry, we'll work everything out later, I have some urgent matter to take care off. You can go home."

And without another word, he stormed out of the office. Kôichirô was dumbfound at first but he quickly regain his composure and began to search the office. That was the opportunity he was waiting for.

**XxXxX**

"Yui, dear, are you sure about it?!" asked Asuna for the umpteenth time, tears rolling on her cheeks. "You just said you were unable to reach him for a while now."

"It's true but even if I couldn't reach him, I could still feel him in the game. But an hour ago or so, his presence disappeared."

"What does it mean?" asked Leafa, closed to tears. "Is my brother...?"

"No!" exclaimed the tiny pixie. "He was logged out with a button like yours when you return to the real world. I've checked the program and I'm sure of that."

"So... You mean he escaped by himself?" sighed Sugu, reassured.

"Sound like him..." said Asuna. Then she remember one thing.

"Suguha, we need to get back and to warn my brother! If Kirito's body is in Sugô's grasp like we thought..."

She let the end of her sentence hung in the air but the other two caught it.

"We'll come back to inform you Yui."

They said in unison before logging out.

"Good luck Mama, Leafa-san" answered the little girl, joining her hands as if she was praying.

**XxXxX**

When he opened his eyes, it was almost as if he was in a cotton box. His vision was blurry and he couldn't hear anything except for his heartbeat. His body felt, at the same time, like jelly and like it was made of lead. It was a strange mix and he didn't know if he could move or not but he wanted to try. But when he lifted his head, he encountered a resistance and realized that it was his NerveGear pinning him down.

Slowly, he moved his right hand to the strap of the device when, once again, he felt a resistance. He craned his neck enough to be able to see what it was and realized his hand had been shackled to the bed he was currently resting on.

'What the hell?' he wondered before the door of the room opened.

**XxXxX**

Without really thinking, Koîchirô was running in Sugô's mansion in search of the man. Just a few minutes ago, her sister called him. She was frantic and said Kazuto was in danger and that he needed to stop his boss right now. Since time was short, he ordered her to call the cops and to wait at his flat. Then he hang up and tried to catch up with the madman who left the room not so long ago.

When he reached him, the guy was about to open a white door, another man at his side. They were chatting and didn't see him coming. He didn't understand everything but he caught the words 'boy', 'awoke', 'kill' and 'Asuna' and that was enough.

"Sugô!" he shouted while still walking towards the man. "Stop right here and now! I know what you have done. I've evidence. The police is on his way here"

Most of what he said was bluff but it work on the accomplice who fled instantly. The madman on the other hand, seemed ready to fight. And since he had no other choice, Kôichirô took a fight stance too.

**XxXxX**

The guy who entered his room seems vaguely familiar but he didn't know him. The man walked toward him with a reassuring smile. His lips were moving but Kazuto couldn't catch what he was saying and it must be written all over his face since the guy fumbled in his pocket to take out his phone.

On this occasion, Kirito noticed the man didn't use his left arm at all and held it stiff on his side. He must have been wounded.

The guy wrote a message on the phone and then, held it towards the youngster who had some difficulty to read it in his half-conscious state. It was written :

'Hello. My name is Kôichirô. I'm Asuna's brother. The cops are here. You're safe now.'

And for the first time in a while now, Kazuto smiled. It seemed his nightmare was finally over.

**XxXxX**

And here ends chapter 9.

Thank you for reading and I hope you've loved this story.

By the away, I'm currently working on a new one where Kirito and Asuna will be a little bit older (around twenty). I hope you'll like it too.

And don't forget to review please. :)


	15. Epilogue

Hello everyone.

I'm really sorry. I kept you waiting for so long. But – finally – here it is, the epilogue of To save him. I apologize in advance for any mistake, but my beta ran away.

The answer to your reviews will be at the end of the epilogue, since you waited long enough for it.

Enjoy and thanks to all of you.

**Disclaimer** : I don't own SAO. The original story and the characters are property of Reki Kawahara (and abec).

**To save him**

**Epilogue**

_**A month after Kirito's awakening**_

Asuna was ecstatic and worried beyond belief at the same time. It was a weird combination but she couldn't help herself. On one hand, she was overjoyed because today was THE day. The day when she was going to finally see him again. But on the other hand, she didn't really knew what to expect of him and she was afraid. After all, he shut her out for a whole month. His family and her brother could visit him but he refused to see her and no one really understood why. Sugu tried her best to convince him a few times but it was in vain.

A few days ago, the hospital released him and he returned home. That was when, much to their surprise, he asked Suguha to invite Asuna.

So here she was now, in front of the door of the Kirigaya's house, wondering if she should knock or not. A part of her was really afraid that he would reject her, saying that SAO was just a game, that he didn't love her anymore. It drove her crazy. But she wanted some answers. She needed it. She knocked twice and waited.

Suguha opened the door a short while later, with a big smile on her face.

"Thank you for coming!" she said.

"Sorry for the intrusion" answered the redhead with a small smile of her own. She went in the living room where she greeted Kazuto and Suguha's parents. It was the first time she saw their father but she didn't really have the time to introduce herself since Sugu was pulling her by her left arm in another room.

They walked through a few rooms before the younger girl stopped in front of a large and old sliding wooden door.

"He's waiting for you one the other side" she said while opening the door. She then pushed Asuna inside the room and whispered a "good luck" before closing the door.

For ten seconds – maybe fifteen – the redhead stared at the wooden panel in shock. Then she turned around to see a beautiful and well-kept dojo. Indeed, Kazuto was in there, sitting at the edge of the dojo. She could only saw his back at the moment, since he was looking at the garden, but it was him, without a doubt. He was clad in black and his short black hair were gently swaying with the wind.

With caution – since he didn't seemed to realize she was there – she walked toward him but was stopped when he talked to her for the first time in the real world.

"Sorry."

Kazuto didn't look at her while saying this so she didn't know what he meant by it. Why was he sorry? Her fears suddenly came back to her mind. Was he really ending their relationship?

"Did you mean...?" she managed to stutter before he interrupted her.

"I'm sorry for shutting you out all this time" he said, finally turning his beautiful gray eyes to her.

He smiled and, without thinking, Asuna threw herself in his open arms, tears of joy rolling along her cheeks.

They stayed like this for several minutes until the redhead realized she was in HIS arms and abruptly straightened herself.

"Sorry. I don't know what got into me" she explained while sitting next to him, her legs dangling in the gap between the dojo's floor and the ground, like his.

He nodded in understanding.

"It's my fault. I kept you waiting. But... it was impossible for me to see you back then."

She looked at him questioningly.

"I was afraid... and I was weak. I didn't want you to see me like this. Everyone else I could manage, more or less, but not you. Of course, Suguha told me what you do, what you tried to achieve for my sake. I'm really grateful for that. But at the same time, I'm happy that you didn't make it. I was such a wreck in this 'game'. A wreck who managed to remain sane thanks to my memories of you and Yui, who kept me company. I'm happy you didn't see that part of me."

Asuna was speechless... This was the reason behind his actions ?

"You shut me out for that?"

He chuckled.

"Sound a little selfish, right? But I wanted to remain strong in the eyes of the woman I love."

Kazuto looked Asuna in the eyes and took one of her hand.

"Will you forgive me?"

The girl blushed a little.

"I'll try" she said with a big smile unequivocal. "Oh, and before I forget, Yui keep saying that she miss you."

"I already know. I'll dive to see her as soon as I'll feel ready. Suguha already buy me an Amusphere."

"That's great. I'll be happy to be your guide in ALO."

"I can't wait for it then."

They looked at each other with a smile one last time before looking back at the garden. They stayed like this a long time, simply enjoying each other company, hand in hand.

**_XxXxX_**

Answer to some reviews (by the way, thx for your comments) :

**Lord Destroyer** : Oh, Sugo couldn't fight or wound anyone? Are you sure? How did Kirito wound himself when they were fighting then (in the real world)? He did it alone? I don't think so. ;)

**Delta Marauder** : To be honest, I hesitate a lot about that part, but I didn't want to abandon the story afterward because I had some 'author block' so I stuck to my original idea. ;)

Also, thanks to **Otaku of Anime**, **DoctorToothless1**, **kataangfan1999**, **LadyIwashi**, **Blitza**, **xBitterSweetDreamsx**... and everyone who took some time to write me a review on this story. Thank you. If I managed to end it, it's because of you all.

**_XxXxX_**

_This is the end of To save him. I hope you liked this story. Feel free to review. _


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